1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for forming a product having a preselected design using a flexible filament having a plurality of indicators and a plurality of segments that correspond to the design.
2. Description of the Related Art
Humans have manipulated flexible filaments or other continuous fibers, such as strands of yarn, to achieve selected designs on textile products for hundreds of years. The designs may include any number of patterns with varying degrees of complexity, from simple stripes to intricate depictions of still-life scenes. Different methods of forming the textile products include among other things knitting, crocheting, weaving, macramé, tatting, embroidery, hooking, knotting, braiding, cross stitching, sewing, temari balls, basket weaving, latch hooking, beading, punch-needling, Tunisian crochet, Afghan Stitch, Tricot Crochet, Shepherd's Knitting, Hook Knitting, Railroad Knitting, rug hooking, and rug making. Each of these methods requires dexterity and skill in order to produce even the simplest design. In addition, each of these methods has various types of stitches or other sequences of actions that are used to form the textile product. For example, when knitting, a plurality of movements are required to form a single stitch, such as a knit stitch or a purl stitch.
The textile products can include transitions between colors and can incorporate tangible features, such as beading or tassels, into the designs. For example, a manipulator may choose to incorporate beading into a scarf they are knitting to add additional color, weight, or sparkle. In order to incorporate such tangible features at a particular location upon the textile product, the manipulator must incorporate each tangible feature individually. This is a tedious and time consuming endeavor.
In order to change from one color to another during the forming of the textile product, the manipulator must connect the current color of yarn to a different color of yarn. Various methods of integration exist, for example, tying the current color of yarn to the different color of yarn. Alternatively, the manipulator may incorporate the different color into the textile product by working the different color into the textile product simultaneously with the current color at a transition zone until the different color yarn is sufficiently integrated. After the different color is integrated, the manipulator may have to cut the current color, which requires the manipulator to stop what they are doing, put down the uncompleted textile product, and use a pair of scissors or other cutting device.
Complicated designs with many color transitions are challenging and time consuming for the manipulator. In addition, these transitions from one color of yarn to another can produce a messy or unsightly knot or lump in the final textile product, especially for novice practitioners. More particularly, if knots are employed for the joining of different spools of yarn, the final textile product, such as a blanket, may be less comfortable because of the knots. In addition, if different colored spools of yarn are worked into the textile product by tying knots or by other methods, the ends of the different spools of yarn can protrude out of the textile product, which can make the textile product look messy. Integrating these ends smoothly into the textile product, such that they are unnoticeable, can be a lengthy and difficult process.
Another drawback, is that the color transitions can be wasteful because the manipulator has to buy a separate spool of yarn of each desired color, even if the color is only required in a very small portion of the textile product. After forming the portion of the pattern that requires the particular color, the remainder of that spool of yarn is no longer needed and is often wasted. Many spools of yarn have been discarded into attics or storage closets for this reason. The extra yarn is costly for the manipulator and the environment.
Some spools of yarn have a plurality of colors dispersed throughout the spool of yarn. Although this allows the manipulator to have the plurality of colors in the textile product, the colors are dispersed throughout the yarn, but do not correspond to a preselected pattern of a final product. Recently, manufacturers have begun selling self-striping yarn that includes at least two colors distributed at selected intervals on a strand of yarn. When manipulated, the self-striping yarn automatically forms a striped pattern. If the manipulator is knitting, the manipulator can impact a thickness of the stripes of color by selecting the number of stitches for each row, i.e., a width of a scarf. For example, knitting a scarf with self-striping yarn will form wider stripes than if knitting a blanket with the same self-striping yarn. Although these products allow a manipulator to form a textile product with a single spool of yarn, the design is limited to a stripe or stripes with no specific design for the final product.
The different methods of manipulating a continuous filament, such as yarn, are difficult to learn. For example, knitting requires a certain level of dexterity to control a spool of yarn while holding a plurality of knitting needles and manipulating the yarn around the knitting needle according to a specific stitch. Without experience, it can be difficult to determine the amount of yarn to use for each stitch. Inconsistencies in the stitches can result in a poor final product, for example, loose areas that cause irregularities in shape. These challenges can be particularly acute for children trying to learn these skills.